Sweden's Peter Bjorn and John a trio that knows how to whistle

February 28, 2007|By August Brown, Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — If the Swedish pop trio Peter Bjorn and John end their careers as one-hit wonders, they probably could blame the whistling. The airy, carefree melody that starts the song "Young Folks" is threatening to become more recognizable than the band itself.

The hook -- courtesy of producer and multi-instrumentalist Bjorn Yttling -- is one of the finest moments on the trio's third album, "Writer's Block." The whistling was intended as a temporary placeholder in the song's arrangements. Instead, it ended up on a "Grey's Anatomy" episode and broke the ice for plenty of budding hipster couples in 2006.

Though the trio slyly parodied typecasting in the video for "Young Folks" (a boy teaches his girlfriend to whistle the tune before suggesting "My place?"), the band soon will have to face the most perplexing question of its career. How do you keep the momentum after penning one of the year's most unexpected indie-pop anthems?

"It does worry us a bit; it can take the focus away from the band as a whole," singer-guitarist Peter Moren said. "But we can't complain. It's the one downside of having a hit."

The answer, of course, is the same as it has always been for an ambitious young rock group -- put out a great album and tour like crazy. Though "Writer's Block" has been in Scandinavian stores since last May on V2 Records, in the U.S. it was released this month on Almost Gold, a label founded by Isaac Green of StarTime International and Scott Rodger, manager of Bjork and Arcade Fire. Even though the band is on a crest of great stateside publicity (including a "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" performance in January), there are plenty of difficulties implicit in breaking a foreign band in America on a new label.

"Nothing these days is a safe bet," Green said. "Nowadays it's much more random and difficult for labels. You have to accept a certain amount of uncertainty."

A new label would be hard-pressed to find a more reliable flagship than Peter Bjorn and John, however.

"Writer's Block" is packed with potential singles such as the jaunty, heartsick "Paris 2004" and "Let's Call It Off," along with thoughtful diversions into chilly Kraut-rock and blissful guitar thrash. And though "Young Folks" seemed to come out of nowhere for American ears, the band has been somewhat of a Swedish institution since forming in 1999.

Yttling owns a popular recording studio in the group's hometown of Stockholm, where he recorded "Writer's Block" and produced and arranged for Nicolai Dunger, Shout Out Louds and Camera Obscura.

The trio released two full-lengths before "Writer's Block" (including the excellent "Falling Out"), but even the band acknowledges that this is, for all purposes, its worldwide debut.

"This is the first time we've had a proper record deal," Moren said. "I love the first two albums, but they didn't even get a lot of distribution in Sweden. Every penny went to making the next record; we didn't have any money to promote them."

The first round of U.S. promotion for "Writer's Block" is a three-date tour with ex-Concretes singer Victoria Bergsman (the female half of the duet on "Young Folks"). It is a practice run for a more thorough American tour to come this spring. The band is scheduled to perform at the Empty Bottle on May 8. The modest band is still a bit astonished that it can attract attention on reputation alone.

Said drummer John Eriksson: "We're not a hitmaking band, so we were so happy to come and sell out places in New York."

But like it or not, the band does have a hit of sorts.

"Maybe in 10 years we'll be one-hit wonders," Moren said. "But that's OK. It comes down to what sticks out. We aren't so cool, no one knows who we are."